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Organic - What To Plant Factsheet - Gardening Australia - ABC
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Organic - What To Plant
Presenter: Josh Byrne [01/10/2005]
Josh shows us how to plant organically
The weather is
warming up and it's time to think about the summer garden, in particular what
you want to eat. Vegies, some more herbs, fruit trees and, of course, flowers
to bring the garden to life.
Over winter I’ve been building up the
soil by adding loads of organic matter. This is the key to ensuring that what
is planted next will survive during the long, hot months to come.
Managing a smooth transition from one season to another is an
important part of growing food successfully in small gardens. The leeks
and other root crops still have a few weeks to go. The next crop in the
rotation is legumes and they need an early start, so we will grow
climbing beans on a trellis structure above them. I am going to make an
inverted teepee for the beans. Make it with a stake, and three pieces
of bamboo and tie some wire tightly around the middle. This is easy to make,
it's cheap and can be used again next year.
I'm planting my favourite
climbing bean - the blue lake variety. It's great in the heat,
it's a really heavy bearer, and the seeds are left over from a bumper crop
last year. All it takes is one seed at the base of each leg of the teepee and
some water.
I've cleared half the celery to make room for
tomatoes. To plant these try using a couple of solid stakes. Dress the
soil with blood and bone, and plant cherry tomato seedlings. Add more blood
and bone and then water. Try cutting any spent seedlings, like lettuce, rather
than pulling them out, which disturbs the soil. It also means the root biomass
breaks down in the soil, feeding soil life. Then add a dressing of blood and
bone, plant the seedlings. Basil will also go well with
tomatoes.
Now the weather is warming up it's a great time to
plant chillies. A variegated, called fish pepper, goes well with
seafood, but when it fills out, it also looks great.
To finish
planting in the veggie patch try some companion shrubs by planting aromatic
and flowering plants like pyrethrum and tansy and
ladslove.
Lime trees can be espaliered to save space and
provide some screening. Normally in Perth it’s best to plant citrus in autumn
so they can get a head start before the following summer. But they will be
irrigated with grey water so they'll be absolutely fine.
After
planting give the plants a dose of seaweed solution to encourage good root
development. The main thing that will keep this garden productive through
summer is organic matter in the soil, which takes some work, but the results
will surprise.
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